Future Ones
by CoronaCrown
Summary: An apocalypse has defeated the Avengers. Now it's up to their children to go back in time to prevent that disaster from occurring. Along the way, each child is reunited with their family and parent. These are those reunions, and these are those children. AU MCU. DISCONTINUED
1. Prince of America

"What's that? Friends back home?"

James nearly jumped a foot in the air when he heard Captain America's voice behind him. "Jesus Christ! What, don't people knock anymore?"

Steve frowned as he closed the flap of the tent, the only sign of light being from the lit lamp hanging from a hook. "Sure, if it were possible to knock on a tent flap." He saw a forlorn expression on the younger man's face. "Something's bothering you. Want to talk about it?"

James shook his head, his black hair bouncing a little as he did so. "No, I'm just a bit homesick, I guess." He lifted the black and white picture in his hands. "These are my friends. We grew up like family after most of our parents died."

"I'm sorry," Steve said. It wasn't the first time he knew about his friend's parent's death, but hearing it again didn't make it any better.

"Yeah, well, it's not your fault." He paused, thinking about something, and added, "I have a sister, too."

Steve turned around to face him, surprised. In the three years he had known the younger man, he had barely spoken of his family, and never once mentioned a sister.

He first met James when he was first injected with the serum, the day Dr. Abraham died. Then, he was maybe 19 years old, almost too young to be working in such a sophisticated lab, but Steve didn't question it. He was thin, like Steve once was, but he definitely packed muscle and strength. He looked awfully young as well, maybe sixteen back then, and now, three years later, he looked maybe 18. He was still a kid, and no matter how much of a facade he put up around the camp, Steve and Peggy were the only ones who saw through it; he was still just a kid.

"Her name's Sarah," James continued, having Steve pay attention to him again. "My dad adopted her. She's only a year younger than me." He pointed to a young girl with blonde hair in a ponytail, smiling into the camera, her arms around James and another girl who also had blonde hair braided. "And that's Astrid. She's a friend of ours, but they act like sisters more than anything. That's what we are, really. A big family."

Steve watched as he put the photo down, taking the small chest off his bed and unlocking it with a key he wore as a charm on a necklace. The chest was another thing precious to James; it contained all sort of memorabilia to him, something that Steve was curious to see, but never did as he didn't want to oppose in another person's personal property,

There was one big mission to do. Steve had a feeling that this mission was going to be the turning point in the war. He had lost Bucky only the day before, and no matter how much he had tried, he couldn't drown his sorrows in alcohol. Damn serum.

It was James who told him that there was really no point in doing so. "What's the point of grieving for a friend," he had said, "if you decide to do a stupid ass decision? You want to drink so you can forget. But forget what? Forget someone who meant so much to you? Forget the best friend and brother you've ever had? Forget the person who saved you from fights out in allies and ditches? Don't give me that look, I know all about them. My point is, drinking won't help with anything. It won't bring him back, it won't put ice on the grief, and it won't stitch the pain. The best you can do when someone you care about dies is make them proud from the beyond." He then proceeded to drink a shot of whiskey, only to spit it out. "God, that stuff's horrible. I don't understand how people can drink that."

James looked over his shoulder as he heard his superior of the Howling Commandos chuckle, shaking his shoulders. "What are you laughing at?"

"Just some old memories," Steve answered, and it was the truth. Not old necessarily, but still the truth.

He sat on his own bed. Even though Captain America was leading his own regimen, he did, however, have to share a tent with his second in command. It was originally Bucky, but after his fall, James was promoted. Steve could almost see Bucky in James, and not just because they shared the same first name. The hair color and style was almost similar, but if anything, some people would mistaken James and Steve for brothers. They were a few months apart in age, while Steve was more physically built, but James could almost equal on strength despite being shorter. Their faces were smooth and clean-shaven constantly, but James was definitely more acrobatic and agile than Steve was, using some kind of method called "parkour" to maneuver swiftly and efficiently through crowded and urban environments.

James nodded at Steve's answer answer and sat on his own bed, facing away from him. "Captain..." he drawled out slowly. "Can you keep a secret?"

In all the time they knew each other, Steve had only heard him call him by his name once, during their first meeting. Any their time he would be referred to as "Mr. Rogers," and after the promotional propaganda began, "Captain." He never once called him by his actual name since then, and whenever he questioned it, he only said that it just felt weird saying it. On a certain level, they developed a mutual form of trust. It was a good bond, strong and sturdy, and even though James would protect Steve with his life, he still revealed very little of himself. Heck, he didn't even know his last name!

This is why Steve was caught off guard when he was asked this question. "What?"

"There's something I need to tell you, and it's better I tell you know before the next assault on the Red Skull. Don't tell anyone?"

Steve knew that it was something very serious. There were very few times when James spoke in this sort of tone, adult-like and commanding and a leader. Any other time he would obey orders, tell a joke, or be casual with all ranking officers. This was something big.

"I promise," he finally said. "I know we've only known one another for a few years, but I've got your back. You've been with me almost as long as Peggy—er, Agent Carter has, and I trust her. You're the youngest out of all of us and we've been watching over you like parents would to a kid. Do you know how many times I've had to act like I'm your dad?"

James snorted, taking something out of his pocket. Whatever it was, Steve didn't recognize it. It was thing and slim, with a reflective surface. The other side was a shade of blue, but other than that, he had no idea what it was.

"You're right about me on one thing though. How old am I?"

Steve raised an eyebrow. "I... don't understand."

"How old do you think I am, then?"

He looked at him up and down, taking in his appearance. His back was still turned to him, almost in hiding and protectionism. "Maybe... I'd guess I'd say you were 22 or 23? We're almost the same age, then."

"Yeah, I'm actually 19."

Steve did a double take at this, letting his shield fall to the dirt in the middle of its polishing. "What?"

"And that's not even the secret, you see– wait, Captain! Captain! Where're you going?" James followed him out of the tent, the cool dusk air hitting both of them. "Okay, wait a minute! Let's calm down, I can explain! You see, I was sent here by oh god, you're going to see Agent Carter aren't you? Wait, please don't!"

It was too late as Steve walked into the commander's tent. Colonel Phillips was nowhere to be seen, but Peggy was hunched over a desk, overlooking a map. She raised an eyebrow as she caught in the sight of Captain America's second in command trying to pull on his arm like a child would their parent. "Is something the matter?"

"How old is he?" Steve said, pointing with his free arm to James.

Peggy's forehead wrinkled. "Um, about your age, I think? He seems younger."

"You don't know, then?" Steve asked, pulling his arm free. "Or are you acting innocent?"

"Know what, Steve?" Peggy asked. "James, what is this?"

Steve turned back to James. "Tell her."

James nervously ran a hand over the nape of his neck, scratching it. With the other, he used a finger to scratch his cheek. "I lied," he finally said. "I wasn't 19 when I first came aboard the project, I was 16. Now I'm 19, I've been lying about my age for three years."

"What?" Peggy exclaimed. "Do you know the consequences for this sort of action? You could wind up being persecuted!"

"What the hell made you want to lie about your age?" Steve asked.

James scoffed. "Please, you're no saint either, Mr. I'll-lie-about-where-I'm-from-on my-recruitment-form-even-though-I-know-it's-illegal. Besides, this was the only way I can help the fabled Captain America! I needed to get close enough to help him for the next few years, and the lab was the only way I can do that!"

"Wait, but Captain America hadn't even existed until _after_ the project succeeded," Peggy noted. "How could you have known about that back then?"

James was about to answer when he paused. He looked around, as if searching for eavesdroppers. He pulled the tent flap open to see if anyone was coming, but no one was. "I was only supposed to tell the Captain about this, but since he decided to blab, I'll have to tell you both now. And this cannot leave this tent else disaster strikes worse than the war has!"

"I'm not entitled to anything," Peggy said. "Tell me how you knew of the Project and Captain America before I write you up for insubordination, and I may just do so anyway!"

"I'm from the future!" he finally said, then quickly covered his mouth at the high volume he used it for. When no one said anything, he released his mouth and continued. "I was born in 1946, but I was raised in the mid-21st century, a hundred years from now. By that time, an other-worldly tyrant had destroyed most of the planet, and me and my friends were safe with some people we knew growing up."

"That is the single most load of bull I've ever heard my entire life," Peggy said.

"Oh yeah? Tell me what this is then." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the rectangular object from earlier. He threw it to Peggy, who effortlessly caught it with one hand. "Go on. Tell me."

Steve frowned as he looked at it himself. The blue side had the words _Public Call Box_ in small print, and it looked like a phone booth Steve saw once while in London a few years back. "What is it?"

James took it back. "It's a phone. Or at least, it's what phones will look like in about 55 years. See?" Showing the reflective side to them, he pressed a button on the bottom and the side lit up, showing a picture of Captain America's signature shield. "That's the background for my phone. My iPhone, to be exact. And look, I can take pictures." He pulled the screen away from them and fiddled with it, using his thumbs to tap at the screen before he held it up. "Say cheese." There was an audible click and he turned it back around, showing the baffled faces of Steve and Peggy to themselves. "See?"

"That doesn't prove anything," Peggy said, taking the phone again. "Wait, does this work by detecting fingerprints?"

"Yeah, it's a touch screen. A lot of stuff by that time use touch screens. Here, give me that back, it's still mine. I can get phone calls, too, but since I'm here in 1945, it's sort of impossible to contact anyone right now, so I just hang on for the best."

"Say this is true," Steve said. "Say we believe you. If you're from the future, why are you here?"

"My mom knew you," James said, pointing at him. "Before I was born. You were a good friend of hers. That's why I was sent to the future when I was three, because you knew each other. Thirteen years later, a group of us had to go back in time to prevent the end of the world."

"End of the world?"

"Yes. I don't know who or even what, but mankind by the mid-21st century is almost obliterated. There was a group of people, special people, that could have stopped him, but... they died." He paused, placing his left hand over his right shoulder, tucking his chin in it. "My dad was one of them. And so were you, Captain." He looked at his phone again, showing them what was on the screen.

Steve took it, seeing a photo. It was black and white, but he can still see himself. He saw other people, men and woman. He saw a man with a large hammer in his hands, a man with a bow an arrow. There was even a man who's face was turned away, but his left arm was clearly visible; it was made of metal with a star branded on it.

"They were known as the Avengers," James continued. "You and my dad were one of the first to fall. After that, the other Avengers were laid to waist." He took the phone back, fingering it in his hands. "You and my dad are in this time. I decided join the army with you because I thought it'd be easier. I mean, the war ends next month, and after that–"

"Next month?" Peggy said. "You're absolutely sure about that?"

James nodded. "Yep. September second, 1945. Almost six years and one day after it began. I think it was six years, was it six years?"

* * *

As the plane crashed into the frozen tundra, so many memories past through his head. They were mostly of his childhood with Bucky, and then it grew to going to school, to attempting to join the army, to becoming the super soldier that was Captain America, to reuniting with Bucky, to meeting Peggy and James, to losing Bucky all over again permanently.

One memory in particular stood out, and for what reason he didn't know. It was just before Steve's plan to just walk right up the front door of Schmidt's base. As Steve went over the plan with the Howling Commandos, he saw that James was distracted. He waited until the end of the meeting before confronting him.

"You seemed distracted. Are you okay?"

James scoffed. "I should be asking you that question. I mean, you lost your brother, both in arms in and friendship."

"Yeah, but you look distraught." When James looked away, Steve frowned. "Does this have something to do with today's mission? Does it go awry?"

He didn't answer at first. "The Red Skull dies today," he finally said. "At least, that's what I think. But no, this is more of a personal thing." Looking over his shoulder, Steve saw James fingering his phone in his hand. "My dad disappears today," he finally admitted. "People think he died, or, that's what the evidence says. My mom finds out she's pregnant tonight. My dad never knew, and when he did, he adopted my sister. Then he died, and my sister was brought to the time the rest of us grew up in."

Steve nodded, then frowned. "Do you I know your father, as well?"

He didn't answer.

Another memory passing through him was the final confrontation between himself and Schmidt. He didn't know how, but James had followed him aboard the plane. He certainty wasn't in the car when Peggy kissed him, so he assumed he got on board before they arrived. That explained why he wasn't there when the Commandos burst through the window.

Then, when Johann exploded by touching the Tesseract, he contacted Peggy. He told him how he had to put the damn plane in the water, never once mentioning that James was with him. He talked about promising not to be late for a dance he knew he would never arrive at. Before he can finish, however, James used his knife to cut the communications off.

"Captain, there's something I have to tell you!" he shouted, holding on to the pilot's chair for dear life as the freezing hellhole neared them.

"James, what the hell!" Steve reprimanded. "I wasn't done!"

"I-I'm sorry, but this can't wait! I know about you and Peggy, you guys have been seeing each other in secret since May!"

The water was getting closer. Shocked, Steve looked up at him. "What? H-how do you know that?"

James hesitated before he spoke. "My parents met in the army," he said. "My Mom's from England, my Dad's from Brooklyn. During a recent attack, my Dad lost the best friend he's ever known, falling off a train into a frozen chasm." As he spoke, he pulled out his phone. "Remember what I said this morning? My Dad went missing and everyone though he died?"

Steve felt his blood curdle. He looked up at James and saw that he was being completely serious. "No..." He shook his head, feeling a sudden urge of denial overwhelming him. "N-no, you're lying."

James showed him a picture on the phone. Keeping a sturdy hand on the wheel, he took the phone in the other. It showed a picture of Peggy, no doubt Peggy, kissing a baby's cheek. The baby had dark hair and wore a bib with the words _Steven-James Carter: the Captain's prodigy._

Then everything went black.

* * *

Steve looked up as James slept on. Even though he himself had woken up only three days prior, he was still worried about... about his son. It was the one thing he _wasn't_ confused about in this new life he found himself in. It was mostly the uncertainness and fear revolving around it. The last memory he had before waking up was the suddenly enlightening moment when James told the truth of his parentage. God, Peggy was pregnant. She had to raise James alone for three years before he was taken to the future. If she were still alive, if she even is now, she must hate him.

Steven-James Carter. It had a nice ring to it. He suddenly realized that the three years when he and Peggy had to almost be parents to James during the war, whenever he would do something reckless or go against orders, it was like reprimanding a child. He was being a father to his son without even realizing it.

He momentarily thought of Sarah. God, her name made so much sense now. If Sarah were only a year younger than Steven-James, then where was she now? Was she born yet? Was she in an orphanage? Was she a young woman when was taken in? He had no idea.

The doctor came in the room, notifying that while he did various checkups on Steven-James, Steve had to leave. The paternal side of him wanted to say _hell no_ , but the reasonable side of him told him that leaving was inevitable, so he left with little protest. The doctor promised to notify him if any signs were to show, and Steve left to find Director Fury.

Fury, a few hours earlier, had sent an agent to tell Captain America to meet him at his earliest convenience. Seeing that looking after his son in a hospital bed was not at all convenient, Steve went straight to the elevator at the end of the hallway after leaving his son with the doctor. He pressed the button for the intended floor, all the way up, swaying a little at how smooth and fast the elevator went up the shaft. Behind him, the wall was glass, showing a spectacular view of New York. It was nighttime, and the electric signs were hurting his eyes; he was never going to get used to them.

The doors opened and a woman walked in. She wore a blue agent's suit with her hair styled in a bun. She had a stack of papers in her arm and an earpiece in her left ear. Bluetooth it was called, he remembered.

"Captain Rogers," the woman said conversationally. "I'm Agent Maria Hill. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Steve said. "Does the Director still need to see me?"

"He does, yes," Agent Hill nodded. "He sent an agent this morning, though. Are you know getting the message?"

He shook his head. "No no, it's just... I'm a bit distracted, that's all. They keep telling me to go take a walk, but I'm not leaving this building until my friend is okay." He never revealed to anyone the truth about who Steven-James was to anyone. It didn't matter if they were allies, he was not going to put his son in possible danger. They might take him in for questioning or experiments, and he was not going to allow that.

"It's understandable. He's comatose and you're not," the Agent continued. "He's not aided with the super serum, but he's still pulling through. Here we go." The doors opened once more and as more people entered, Agent Hill and Steve exited. "Director Fury's office is down this hallway. I'm on my way there myself. Follow me."

Steve was guided to a door at the end of the hallway. Inside, he saw the Director talking to a woman in a black, skintight outfit. She had long red hair and a holster with a gun. The room itself was large with a glass desk and leather chairs. Behind the desk was no chair, and the farthest wall was glass as well, and just like in the elevator, one can see down into the city.

"And Agent Barton is alright?" Fury seemed to be saying.

"Yes, sir," the red-headed woman agreed. "Coulson saw Thor leave New Mexico, and that woman, Jane, I think, is searching for him."

Fury nodded and looked up, seeing Agent Hill and Steve walk in. "Contact Dr. Selvig, I'll head over and talk to him once I'm done here."

"Right away." The woman stood up from sitting on the armrest of the chair. She nodded in both their direction, her glance a second longer on Steve before she left.

"If finished the reports on the latest incident with Stark," Maria said as she set the papers on the desk. "That man has more responsibilities than the president and acts like a humble house cat."

"Thank you, Agent Hill." He looked up at Steve as she walked away. Once she was gone, he said, "Your friend is very persistent. Any man other than you would have died immediately."

Steve shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "He's always been like that," he said conventionally. "Sometimes he'd go against orders or go off alone during missions. I still don't understand how he got away with it all." This was true. More than once he threatened Steven-James with insubordination if he refused to obey orders, and he would fall back in line for a few weeks, only to go on a completely different path again. And for some reason, he let him stay. Thinking back, maybe it was the paternal side of him that he never knew existed that he felt with Steven-James. Was that how Bucky felt about himself back when they were growing up?

"We took a blood test yesterday," Fury said. "You never leave his side, not even to eat. We were surprised to find that you and him share DNA. You wanna tell me if you two are related, and how?"

Damn, he didn't think they could do something like that in this time. Well, at least they hadn't made the big connection yet.

"He's my younger brother," he lied, surprised at himself how easily that came out of his mouth. Years of faking his application helped in that aspect, he supposed. "Half-brother to be exact. We share the same mother, and after she died, I had to take care of him."

Fury said nothing for a moment. Steve thought he bought the story until he picked up a stapled set of papers he hadn't notice before off the desk. "Files and reports say you never had a brother," Fury commented in a false tone of curiosity. "There's everything from your favorite song to your affection for Agent Carter, but nothing on a living family member."

"W-wait a minute, affection?" Steve frowned. How could they know about that?

"Don't play a fool's ass with me," Fury put bluntly. "Agent Carter and Howard Stark were some of the greatest minds in creating SHIELD, and reports came in when you went up and got her pregnant. Her kid went missing when he was three years old, and everyone blamed you for it, only because you weren't there to protect him."

"She had a kid?" Even though Steve already knew the truth, it was something else entirely to hear it be confirmed from an outside source. "My kid?"

Fury flipped the page before he threw it to the other end of the desk. "Look for yourself."

Taking the paper, Steve found himself looking at a birth certificate. _Steven-James Carter_ it said. Born May 17, 1946 on a Friday afternoon, the same birthday as James back in 1944, the only time he wanted to celebrate it. He was turning 18 then, disguising it at 21. Attached was a photo of Peggy in a hospital bed carrying a little infant in her arms. Her head was turned away from the camera, but the smile made it obvious that she didn't mind. The infant was his son, the child he never got to see grow up. Now, he was downstairs, in a coma and near the point of dying all so his father, him, could live. If he could, he would give his own life to save Steven-James's. Although, he figured, that is what happened in the apocalyptic future he spoke of a few days back. Well, for them it was a few days.

Before he knew it, he was wiping a tear from his eye. He hadn't even realized he was crying.

"I'm sorry about that," Fury said. "Believing me, we've tried looking for him. If he's still alive, he's out there, a man in his fifties. He may have a family of his own, or he's all alone. I promise, Captain Rogers, we will find your son." He paused. "I'll expect some sort of answer sooner or later regarding your friend. Keep the papers. We have copies."

Steve nodded, not trusting himself to speak. As he left the room, he heard Fury mutter to himself, "Damn, the man is a magnet for people named James." He smiled in spite of himself, making sure his eyes were dry before he showed his face to the public. He wasn't really one to take pity, especially from strangers.

Instead of heading back down to Steven-James's room, he continued past the elevator and out a door. There he entered the roof of the building, where a small patio-like area was growing. There wasn't anyone up here, and if there was, it was mostly pairs of people talking or hanging around with each other. Steve took a seat on a bench, letting the cool spring breeze of New York hit his face. It was amazing; he actually wasn't too far off from the apartment where he and Bucky grew up. If the building were still there or the streets were the same, he might go and check out the old neighborhood, maybe search for an apartment to move into, someplace quiet while he got used to the 21st century. In other circumstances, he would. But now, he had a child to look after. Granted, said child was 19 years old, but he was still his, and nothing was going to change that.

"Excuse me."

He was so distracted in his thoughts that he didn't notice that a young girl had walked up next to him. The girl was young, maybe 18, and she wore a black shirt under a gray long-sleeved sweater. She had blue jeans and combat boots; or at least, he assumed that's what they were. Her black hair was in a ponytail, but the most oddest thing about her were her hands. One was flesh, but the other looked like it was entirely metal.

"Are you Steve Rogers?" the girl asked.

"Yes. Are you an Agent? You seem awfully young."

The girl shook her head. "No. I'm Steven-James's girlfriend."

At this, Steve stood up from his seat. "What?"

"He told out about us, right?" the girl said, motioning with her hands. "Didn't he tell you that the kids of the Avengers were sent back in time to stop the apocalyptic future from happening?"

He had almost forgotten how to speak and said, "Un, y-yeah, I think he might have had mentioned something like that once."

The girl sighed. "Damn you, Quincy." She shook her head. "Never mind that. I'm one of them, too. My name is Taylor, but the public knows me as Frostbite, and my father is the Winter Soldier. It's wonderful to officially meet you, Mr. Rogers!" She offered her hand, but Steve didn't take it. "Mr. Rogers?"

"S-sorry! It's just... I didn't expect to see you here. Frostbite?"

Taylor nodded. "Mm-hm. I'm on the news sometimes. You'll hear of me every now and then, going against terrorist attacks and supporting LGBT equality parades. Oh, right, you don't know what that is. Well, just tell Steven-James when he wakes up that I love him and that I can't wait until I see him again." She reaches into her pocket and pulled out a rectangular object. It took Steve a minute to recognize it as an iPhone like Steven-Janes had, though a different color. "Damn, I need to go. I'll see you later!"

* * *

"You don't need to look at me like that; not like I'm going anywhere."

Steve chuckled, fingering the phone in his hands. No one had really questioned him about it, and he was thinking no one seemed to know about it. He had it in his pocket when he woke up, considering it strange since he remembered holding it in his hand when they crashed. Perhaps they were testing him on this situation. But for now, that didn't matter.

Steven-James had his eyes closed, but he showed his teeth in a small smile. His black hair was unruly and stuck to his forehead in curls. The IV tubes poking his arm monitored his stats, his heartbeat beating steadily. His heat signature was higher than it was the day before.

"I'm your father," Steve said. "I need to keep a closer eye on you than a hawk does to her hatchlings."

His smile fell. His heartbeat suddenly began to pick up slightly. "You remember that?"

Steve adjusted his chair so that it was parked right next to the bed. He set his hand on Steven-James's, but he retracted his hand, setting it on his stomach. Steve didn't try to push it. It seems that they were both having a tough time adjusting to this sudden situation: Steve suddenly had a son, and Steven-James was reuniting with his father.

"I'm sorry you've lived such a tough life," Steve said. "Peggy had to give you up when you were three years old. I wasn't there to see you grow up. I missed so much... You're first step, your first smile, your first birthday, your first word."

Steven-James's mouth tilted upward. "My first word was 'Bucky,' and I vaguely remembered Mom talking about the both of you a lot." The smile faded. "Are you mad at me?"

"For what?" Steve asked. "You did the right thing, not telling me right after we met. I would have though you insane. Thinking back, I remember all those times you'd say something like, 'who are you, my dad?' I never realized how much it hurt you when I told you I was your superior and not your father."

"'Snot your fault." Steven-Janes exhaled through his nose, his heartbeat slowing down. "You didn't know. It's good to see, though, Captain."

Steve thought for a moment before he said, "You know... you can call me Dad... If you want."

Seven-James nodded. "Mm. Night... Dad." He tilted his head, snoring lightly as he fell back asleep. Throughout the entire exchange, he never opened his eyes.

Steve raised his hand to his forehead to remove the hair from it, letting it out of probably an uncomfortable tickle. Unable to help himself, he bent over and kissed his forehead, smiling. "Goodnight, son." Yawning, he exited the room and found Agent Hill standing outside.

"We have a room for you if you want it," she said. "For you and your brother."

"I appreciate it," Steve said. "Is he going to be able to move up and about soon?"

"He just needs a good night's rest and he'll be just fine," the Agent promised. "It's funny seeing a man like Captain America seem so domestic. Something pretty normal around here."

"How often are things not normal?" Steve asked.

An explosion at an above floor interrupted Agent Hill from answering the question. It wasn't enough to hurt them, but the floor still shook and crashes were heard from above.

"Fairly," the Agent answered. "You think you can help us out if need be? I can have your shield."

"You helped my brother recover, I'll do what I can."

* * *

"Mm-ha ha! Oh, the energy is strong here! One of the Future Ones are here!"

Steve stopped in his tracks as he saw what the intruder was. It was a man on fire. He wore a black and red suit, similar to what Johann Schmidt wore. His head was literally a fireball, giving a vague shape of eyes and a mouth. Upon seeing Steve carrying his iconic shield, what can be assumed as the mouth turned into a wicked grin.

"If it isn't the Avenger himself, the legendary Captain America." He spoke in a raspy and deep voice. It reminded Steve of the a radio with terrible static. "I can assume you know where the Future Ones are."

Steve's narrowed eyes weren't a play, but he can guess what he was speaking of. Or rather, who. "The Future Ones... What are you talking about? And who are you?"

Before the human fireball can answer, Fury's voice shouted into the room. "Sir, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave the premises peacefully. If not, I will not hesitate to fire that burning ass of yours out of the building."

It surprised Steve how calm he spoke despite the situation. It only showed how much he was used to being the Director of such an organization as SHIELD is.

"I am known as Hellfire to my adversaries," the fireball said. "And, it seems, I have gained them in this time period as well."

 _ **This** time period?_ Steve thought.

"Bring me the child of Steven Rogers or pay the consequences!" The fire blew like a volcano top, erupting and setting the hallway on a bigger fire. His hands were not flesh, rather rock, and they glowed red. A moment later, a burst of fire shot at Steve. At the last minute, Steve lifted his shield and bounced the fireball back.

Hellfire turned his stone hands into two swords, attacking the agents that went up to him.

"Everyone back off!" a voice shouted. A woman suddenly appeared, the same redhead who was talking to Fury earlier in the night, pulling the gun out of her holster. "Listen up, I'm only going to say this once: ever heard of the Ice Bucket Challenge? Well, you either leave the place and we'll hunt you down later, or you get to participate. Game on."

Hellfire laughed. "Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow. Your Future One must be nearby as well..."

"Think again!" Coming literally from nowhere, Steve saw a blue figure come down from a blazing fire melting a glass pane. What he saw dumbfounded him. Someone dressed similarly to his Captain America outfit stood with a shield, but the shield was lit up. He wore a blue jacket and pants with red boots. A white star was printed on the back of the blue jacket, and his blue mask similar to Captain America's was dotted with tiny white stars. "Hellfire. I should've known you would follow us here."

"Hm. The Prince of America. A fallen kingdom that your father, its captain, failed to protect."

Steve looked back at the Prince. Was this...?

"Leave," the Prince said. "Your mistake was breaking into a SHIELD base. Even you're not that stupid."

Hellfire walked forward. He towered over the Prince by at most a foot, looking down at him as he leaned his back. "Three down. Nine to go." Turning around on his feet, he jumped out a hole that he blasted in from.

The Prince made his way to the hole, looking as Hellfire disappeared in a burst of fire. "Damn... I hope the others are okay."

* * *

"Something you want to tell me?" Steve asked as he paced around the hotel.

After staying a single night in the room offered by SHIELD, he eventually decided to go off with Steven-James to accustom to the times. Using the old bank account he had from the forties, which had grown exceptionally the past decades, he purchased a hotel room near the SHIELD building, in case anything new were to happen.

"Not really," Steven-James said as he flipped through the page of his book. "Man, these books are amazing. Ms. Rowling is a magnificent author. These books didn't exist in my time."

"You make it sound like you're the one who's unfamiliar with the times."

"I am, actually." Steve-James folded the corner of the page, closing the book. He sat up on his bed, pulling a pillow onto his lap. "I wasn't raised in the 10s, I was raised in the 50s. The only thing we had to entertain ourselves in that time was our training, some old movies that my uncle saved, and the stories about the Avengers."

"Training?" At this, Steve sat on his own bed, his previous thought derailed for the moment. "What sort of training?"

He shrugged. "Eh, the basics. Hand to hand combat, strength tests. Some of us were able to use technologies to our advantage. Well, all of us, actually."

At this point, Steve's train of thought pulled back into the station. "And the Prince of America... What sort of technology does he use?"

"Dad, come on!" Steven-James whined. When earning the raised eyebrow, he sighed. "Fine." Standing up, he pulled the left sleeve of his shirt up to reveal a metal band around his forearm.

"How long have you had that?" Steve asked.

"I've always had, ever since I was 14. It adjusts according to my size as I grew older and taller." Pressing some kind of button on the band, Steve was surprised to see the same Prince of America suit spread over his entire body. The band then transferred to his wrist and when he pressed another button, the shield showed up again. It was lit up, and he could even see through it. "It's holographic," Steven-James explained. "It's just an image, but it's solid at the same time. See?" Pulling the mask off his head, he tapped the shield. Sure enough, there was a faint echo as if it were hallow. He pressed the button again, then the suit and shield disappeared.

"You could've gotten hurt," Steve argued, standing. "Who was he, anyway? He was asking about the 'Future Ones.'"

"That's us. We came from the future, but we were followed. That tyrant sent his followers after us to... to kill us. Hellfire is one of them."

"You could've gotten hurt," he said again. "Damn it, James, you were in a hospital bed! How did you even get out so well?"

"I have your genes, remember? The serum continued to my body. My metabolism isn't four times stronger than an ordinary person's, but it's still there."

Steve looked over him again. _He grew up too fast,_ he thought to himself.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Instead of answering, Steve stood from his bed and wrapped his arms around his son. He felt Steven-James stiffen before doing the same a moment later. "I'm sorry you've gone through so much," he said. "You should have lived a normal life. You deserve it so."

"Eh, normal's overrated. My girlfriend is the daughter of an ex-assassin that Hydra was mind-controlling."

At this, Steve pulled back. "That reminds me! I actually met Taylor the other day!"

"What, really? When?"

* * *

Steve set the newspaper down on the table. Steven-James looked up from his cereal. "You're really making a name for yourself when I'm not looking, are you?"

A week later, the finally found an apartment. They went with their usual ruse, parading as brothers. In the public, Steven-James continually referred to his father as "Captain," and Steve referred to his son simply as "James." During this time, while Steve was waiting for some kind update about Peggy from SHIELD, they would just get to know watch other, try to spend time as father and son. It was very difficult given they were only a few years apart, but neither could back down from a challenge.

Steven-James only grinned as he took the paper, holding it up. "'New American-themed hero rises!'" he read. "'Referred to as "The Prince of America," it is believed that this mysterious man is taking up the plate of revived super soldier Steve Rogers, who was found incarcerated in ice a week prior. NYPD state that while the unknown subject is helping capturing terrorists and killers around the city, they remain wary of what his intentions may be. Some have tried to get close to the turnabout patriot, but none have succeeded.' Son of a bitch, it goes on how I'm a secret killer in disguise!"

"Watch your language," Steve warned.

"Sorry, Dad." He continued to read through the newspaper quietly until something caught his eye. "Oh my god. Dad, come look at this!"

Steve walked over to him. He looked at the paper and skimmed the pages, confused as to where he was supposed to be looking at. "What?"

"Here! Right here!"

Taking the paper, he squinted at the small box. It was a missing persons report. It showed a photo of a young girl. Her name?

 _Eighteen year old Sarah Rogers has gone missing this past week from Brooklyn. She was last seen by a group of friends leaving a cinema theater, but when her roommate showed up to their apartment, she was not there. Her friends say that she had been planning to leave in search of her family, but all of her belongings remain. Police are in high alert. If anyone sees this young girl or has any information regarding her, please report to the New York State Police Department in Queens. More details to follow as the investigation continues._

* * *

 **Holy crap, that is long!**

 **Hey there, this is CoronaCrown2, taking the spot of my boyfriend before his accident. I'm new to writing fan fiction, but I've always liked the fact that the Avengers had kids, like in that animated movie that came out a few years back, The Next Avengers? Some of those kids are based on these. Also, same with the kids in the Young Avengers comics. I haven't read a single one of those, so please do not hate on me if I get something wrong! If anything, I only took their name rather than their personalities m!**

 **I will be writing a (long, apparently) one-shot for each child. I'm debating whether or not I want to reveal them for you right away in he next Author's Note, so I'll just leave it up to you to decide on that.**

 **Also, not all of the Avengers have a kid. Falcon and War Machine are such examples. I wanted to keep the children limited and to be cornered by certain Avengers, so that's it. Also, the apocalyptic future that's mentioned is supposed to be Thanos's attack that may happen in The Avengers: Infinity War. Ergo, this storyline takes place after everything in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has occurred from Iron Man in 2008 to Infinity Wars Part 2 in 2020 (I think).**

 **Also, Hellfire is an original villain I made up. Any villain or character in resemblance to Hellfire is a coincidence, I assure you.**

 **Lastly, this fanfic will select various children of the Avengers, as well as telling various key points of their parent(s)'s respective movie(s). Here, Steven-James Cart, Taylor Barnes, and Sarah Rogers were introduced. Any theories or comments?**

 _CoronaCrown2_ (I won't officially put the "2" in my profile name, I'll only use it in Author's Notes)


	2. Wiccan & Mechanoid

Pepper dashed into the room when she heard the child scream in terror. She burst open the door and saw him writhing in the bed, wailing. "Jarvis, turn the lights on. Make two cups of hot chocolate."

"Right away, Ms. Potts," Jarvis answered. The Captain America lamp above the dresser lit up.

Pepper ran to the bed, shaking the child awake as he sobbed into his pillows. "Kyle? Kyle! Wake up!"

Kyle's sobs softened as he opened his eyes, his dark brown hair caught in his mouth. "Daddy?" he whispered, half asleep, pulling the hair out of his mouth.

Pepper sighed. "No, sweetie. It's me, Pepper."

The little boy sniffled before he sat up, his Captain America pajamas wet with sweat and tears. "I miss Daddy," he said.

Pepper pulled the child into her arms, running her nails to scratch his head. "I know, sweetheart. I'm sure he's okay, though."

"Jarvis, is Daddy okay?" Kyle asked, lifting his head to look at the ceiling.

"I'm afraid I was told to not answer that," the AI said.

Kyle settled back in his surrogate mother's arms, sniffling as he continued to silently pour tears. "Why did Daddy have to go?"

"It's big for him," Pepper said. "This newest weapon of his would really help the people in Afghanistan."

"Why can't he stay home?"

She didn't answer. Instead she plucked the blankets off of him and carried him in her arms. She carried him out of his room to the white couch. As she left to the kitchen, Kyle glanced over at the spiral staircase where he knew his father would work at on a nightly basis. He remembered that every time before he went to sleep, he would get tucked into bed. He would get a kiss on his forehead by his father and a short story before he left, leaving a nightlight next to his bed.

As Pepper put whipped cream on the mugs she requested from Jarvis, she occasionally looked over her shoulder to see the child.

 _His birthday is coming up in a few months,_ she remembered. Tony was as busy as he can ever be, working on weapons, going to social events, sleeping around. If there was one thing that was at number one on his list of priorities, it was his son.

Kyle Stark was an admirable child, but he was very shy. Because of this, Tony kept him off the radar of the press. No one in the public knew his name or age, they only knew that Tony Stark, CEO and successor of Howard Stark and Obadiah Stane, has a single son. No name, no age, not even the identity of the mother.

She poured some cinnamon on both mugs over the cream before taking them to the couch.

"Thank you," Kyle said softly as he took the cup. He licked a portion of the cream to reveal the scalding liquid underneath, blowing before taking a sip. "Pepper... Does Daddy love me?"

Pepper almost spit out her hot chocolate at the sudden question. "What?"

He didn't say anything more.

"Young sir, if I may," Jarvis said. "I'm glad to say I have evidence on record to refute such a statement. If you may direct your attention to the television..." The TV lit up. It was blue for a moment before it showed a home video.

Pepper smiled. She remembered this day; it was almost seven years earlier, when Kyle said his first word. She had begun working for Tony around that time, and was one of the few privileged to know Kyle personally. Tony had gotten food poisoning that day and was forced to stay in bed per Pepper's instructions. Not wanting to stay idle, he decided to play with his son.

Kyle smiled as he saw his younger self on screen, giggling when Tony blew a raspberry against his cheek. His younger self giggled and clapped his hands. That's when Tony turned to look at Pepper and frowned.

 _"Are... Are you recording this?"_ he said.

 _"Of course I am! What, you don't want to look back at these when he's older? That way you can blackmail him when gets a girlfriend."_

"I don't want a girlfriend," Kyle said stubbornly.

"You might when you get older," Pepper noted. "By that time, Tony will show the public who you really are."

On screen, Tony sighed. _"Pep... I don't know if that's a good idea."_

 _"What? Why not?"_ On-screen Pepper adjusted the camera so that it was sitting on the bed, showing the three of them.

 _"It's just... We've only had Kyle for a few weeks. I don't... think I'm qualified to become a father. Maybe it's best if we just... place him up for adoption?"_

"Huh?" Kyle sat up, positioning himself so he sat closer to the edge of the seat.

 _"What? Are you crazy?"_ Pepper said. _"It's no good putting him in the system! And why are you saying this, do you not want him?"_

 _"No, it's not like that! I... I haven't told anyone this, but I've always wanted kids. When my parents died, I just... gave that dream up. I would never have the child that my mom would love. Then Jarvis died, and I became the CEO of a large company. I barely have time to myself nowadays, how the hell can I support a child! Not to mention that the press will be all over him. I don't want to raise him like my dad raised me."_

Pepper was silent as she overlooked Tony on the bed. _"You've been thinking about this for a while."_

 _"Of course I have. He's... my son."_ Tony cradled the baby in his arms, caressing a finger to his cheek. Because of the little activity Baby Kyle had shown, it was possible he was asleep. _"I want to look out his best interests."_

Pepper smiled as Tony planted a soft kiss to his brown head. _"That's why you should keep him,"_ she said. _"Raise him how you wanted to be raised. You'll be busy, but you'll be there."_

Tony smiled back. _"God, I'm glad I hired you. I still think it's best if he's kept out of the press's watch, but he'll grow up to be as smart as his old man. I love this kid so much already."_

Kyle smiled as he settled by Pepper's side again. He felt himself crying, but he didn't care. His Daddy loves him.

 _"Pep, can you hold him for a moment?"_

 _"Uh, sure. Why?"_

 _"Because last night's burrito is making its way up my throat again."_ Kyle laughed as Tony went off screen for a minute, his retching sound spouting out the speakers of the TV. He staggered to bed a minute later, doing a double take as he lifted the camera off the blankets. Pepper was laughing silently behind him. _"Wait, is this thing still recording?"_

...

When Uncle Rhodey called and said they found Tony in the desert, Kyle cried tears of joy. As much as he wanted to go and see his father for himself, Pepper reminded him that he shouldn't go out in public. As much as Kyle complained and whined that day, she had a point. As such, Kyle was left behind at the Malibu house with Jarvis keeping watch. An AI might not be the best babysitter, but he was still an efficient one. Not only that, but Tony had also designed a personal robot to take care of Kyle's needs. It was called "Kyle's Robot of Personal Care and Health," or "Kropcah" for short.

Kropcah was a mute robot, a small wheeled contraption modeled after R.O.B., Kyle's favorite robot from a video game series. Instead of being white and black, it was a red and white color. The robot was one of Tony's most sentient inventions, right next to Jarvis, U, Dum-E, and Butterfingers.

"Kropcah, can you get me some orange juice, please?" Kyle asked as he closed the door after ordering a pizza. The Stark residence was a usual customer of the local joint in Malibu, so whenever anyone craved pizza, Jarvis would place an immediate order, and in times Kyle had to be left alone, he would pay with an automatic slot for the delivery man. The pizza would be left, and once the coast was clear, Kyle would open the front door and bring the pizza in.

Kropcah beeped in confirmation, raising its wheels to climb the three steps to enter the kitchen. Once it did so, it veered its way into the kitchen and raised its scissor-lift legs and extended a claw to open the refrigerator door. It took out the carton of juice, poured it into a cup, set the carton back inside, and took the cup back to the coffee table where the pizza box sat. When it arrived, it handed the cup to Kyle.

"Thank you," he said. As the robot's eyes lit up, Kyle lifted the robot and set it next to him on the couch. "There, you can watch with me and Jarvis."

"Technically, I cannot see the screen, the news is relayed to me automatically. Also, Kropcah is unable to understand the news, period."

"Ah, tomato to-mah-to." Kyle took a sip of his cup and took a slice, about to take a bite when he stopped. "Oh, I forgot the ketchup. Can't have pizza without smearing it with ketchup."

If Jarvis could roll his eyes, he would. "You most certainly are Tony's son."

Once the entire pizza was smeared with ketchup, Kyle ate and drank orange juice as the news began to play, showing a conference that announced his father. He gave a heavy sigh of relief when he saw his father come on stage. His left arm was in a sling and his face looked bruised and dirty, but he was alive.

"Daddy..."

The conference continued. Tony took out a burger from his pocket and began to eat it as he got the reporters to kneel as he sat in front of the podium. He spoke to Obadiah quietly for a moment before the camera picked up the words, _"...I never got to say goodbye to Dad."_ Then to the audience, _"I never got to say goodbye to my father."_ He looked directly at the camera, pointing to it with the hand that held the burger. _"I know you're watching this back home, kid. You never did say goodbye to me, and I won't lie; I was really scared that I would never get to see my only son again. When we get back to the house, I promise: we're going to sit back on the couch and do nothing but watch whatever movie you want me to watch with you. Even if it's a stupid musical like all that Disney crap."_

Kyle smiled, finishing his slice and taking a second. "I love you, Daddy."

Tony smiled. _"Love you, too, kid. Now, on to business."_ He set the burger down before he continued. _"There's questions I would ask him, my father. I would ask what this company did. If he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts. Or maybe he was every inch the man we all remember from the newsreels."_ He paused, looking at the camera again before he spoke. _"I saw young Americans get killed with the weapons I made to protect them. And I saw that I had become comfortable with a system that is zero accountability."_

Kyle set his pizza down, looking at his father on the screen. "Jarvis, is Daddy sad?"

"It appears that Mr. Stark is suffering from an ailment commonly known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder," Jarvis explained. "It's a common mentality that soldiers and people who've experienced war and battle would go through upon returning home."

Kyle was so enraptured in Jarvis's answer that he missed one of the reporters asking a question.

Tony stood up, speaking loud and clear, making his way to stand behind the podium. His voice echoed throughout the room. _"Uh, I-I-I, I had my eyes open. I came to realize I have more to offer this world that just making things that blow up, and that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacture–"_

The rest of the sentence was drowned out as the reporters stood as well, blasting out question after question, causing a riot to occur.

Kyle frowned. "Jarvis, what happened?"

"Erm, it appears that Mr. Stark is putting an end to Stark Industries. There are no more weapons to be made from now on."

He turned to Kropcah. "Can he do that?"

Kropcah gave the equivalent of a shrug and beeped something that sounded along the words of "I don't know."

"Technically he can, as he is the CEO, but it may lead to severe consequences," Jarvis explained. "Is there any specific movie you want you and your father to see?"

As his little seven-year-old mind cannot yet comprehend the immense change this would bring, he dropped it. "Do we have _Wall-E_? I like _Wall-E_."

"I'll check our files, young sir."

...

"Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark!"

Happy looked over Tony's shoulder and shrugged. He turned around at the sound of his name being called and groaned as a man in his early twenties ran up to them before he can enter the car. "Look, kid, I don't have time to answer questions for you. I have a kid to get home to."

The young man shook his head, his brown locks swaying from its extensive length, resting to just above his neck. "No, sir. I'm not a reporter. Um, I saw you drop this." He reached into his pocket and picked up a folded piece of paper.

Not wanting to be rude to him, Tony took the paper with his good hand and put it in his pocket. "Thanks. I didn't even notice. Er, what's your name?"

"William, sir. William Maximoff. But everyone calls me Billy."

Tony nodded. "Huh. That's a pretty unusual name."

Billy shrugged. The red decorative scarf he had around his neck unraveled itself, and as he fiddled with the end of it, he said, "Yeah, I've been told that a few times. Can I say, sir, that you've caused quite a commotion inside." He looked back up to the stairs and the building, where people were barging questions to Obadiah.

"Yeah, I know." Tony looked over Billy again. "I should get going, my son is probably expecting me by now."

"Yes, of course. He must be worried sick. Oh, and tell Pep that I'm a big fan of her work!"

Tony nodded as he stepped into the car next to Pepper. "Who was that?" she asked as Happy started up the car.

He eased his breathing as he wasn't the one driving and answered, "Some kid. Told me I dropped something, but..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the folded piece of paper again, unfolding it. "...I have no idea what it is."

"So you just took it?" Pepper asked incredulously. When Tony didn't say anything, frowned. "Tony?"

"Happy, drive," he ordered, stern and stiff. "Break the speed limit of you have to."

"What?" Happy looked at him through the rearview mirror. "Why would I–"

"DRIVE, Happy!"

Not used to Tony's sudden rage and tone of voice, his reflexes kicked in and he slammed her foot on the accelerator, swiftly avoiding each car that honked at her. Pepper turned to ask why they were in such a hurry when she saw the piece of paper sitting on his lap. Upon seeing what it read, she handed it to Happy. He drove faster:

 _KYLE IS IN DANGER! GET TO THE HOUSE NOW!_

...

Tony limped his way out of the car before Happy could even turn the engine off. Turning the handle, he found that it was locked. "Jarvis? Jarvis! Jarvis, let us in!" He waited for Jarvis to speak or unlock the door, but heard nothing.

Pepper stepped up next to him, pulling her own key out of her pocket. She unlocked the door and the two of them rushed inside.

The first thing Tony saw when he walked in was a silver figure pointing a gun at him. He ducked just in time as a bullet hit the wall behind him.

"Tony Stark," the man said. He wore armor like a knight in medieval times, but no helmet and with a gun rather than a sword. "Is this the one you're looking for?" Lifting his other hand which was obscured from view, he showed Kyle tightened by his waist, his mouth gagged and tears pouring down his eyes.

"Kyle!" Tony shouted, standing up weakly.

"Who the hell are you?" Pepper demanded.

The man smiled. He looked like an ordinary man, a beard and mustache plastered on his face. He had dark eyes and light hair, looking like a real-life medieval knight.

"I am Sir Lancelot," the man said. "Kyle Stark is my target today; he will be killed by me." He moved the gun so that the barrel touched Kyle's skull. Unable to move or speak, Kyle gasped through his nose as more tears spilled out.

"Leave my son alone," Tony warned. "You're in a building filled with unused weapons. Some never went public because they were more dangerous. Would you like to see for yourself?"

"Sir Lancelot...?" Pepper said, standing next to Tony. "Is that the alias you're going with? After the knight of legends?"

"So you've heard of me?" Lancelot said. "Well, all legends have a ring of truth to them. I just happen to be one of them. Now..." A circle of light appeared behind him, and he began to take steps back. "I believe we must take your child now; he may be young, but he will still disrupt our plans."

"Take him and I will hunt you down!" Tony warned, moving forward. He flinched when a gunshot sounded, shooting the floor in front of him.

"One more step and I'll kill him," Lancelot said, pointing the gun at Kyle again. "Dead or alive, it doesn't matter. He'll be through either way."

Heavy steps sounded. The door opened and a man walked inside. Well, not a man per se; it was a man who looked robotic, reminding Tony of the Terminator. Most of its body was exposed robotic design. The only parts that were human were the organs shown inside and the right arm, leg, left arm, and an eyeball.

"Release the child," the android said, a mix between a human and mechanical voice.

Lancelot laughed. "Mechanoid? Well, isn't this a surprise! I did not expect you to show yourself like this!"

Mechanoid raise its right arm and a small rocket popped out of it, aimed at the knight. "I will not say it again." Before the knight can answer, the rocket let loose and exploded. Or rather, it looked like it exploded. A net burst open and pulled Lancelot forward. Lancelot shot at the cyborg, but it took no damage from the attack. The sudden onslaught caused him to drop Kyle, who began furiously working to pull the gag off his mouth.

"Kyle!" Tony limped to his son, pulling him into his arms as the gag dropped around his neck.

"D-D-Daddy!" Kyle cried loudly he wrapped his arms tightly around his father, speaking incoherently about the attack.

"It's okay... You're fine, you're alive... That's all that matters." Tony grimaced as Kyle pulled himself in so much so that he was wrapped around his torso, crushing his arm in the process.

Lancelot aimed the gun at Tony again, but Mechanoid pulled it away from him and threw it across the room with enough force to crack the glass window.

"Rgh, this isn't over!" Lancelot shouted as Mechanoid took him outside, still captured in the net. "We will have your child, Stark! The Future Ones may protect him as much as they wish to, but in the end, he will die!"

...

Rhodey was contacted and was told to keep an eye out for anything unusual. The "Mechanoid" was caught on one of the security cameras, flying away with Lancelot in tow. They disappeared into the city somewhere, and with Rhodey's ability from within the Air Force, they told him to keep a very low profile on what it was that they were actually trying to track down. Obadiah didn't come back for a while, and Pepper decided that it was best that way. Tony was so worried about Kyle that the both of them hadn't released each other from their hug since their arrival; the sun had set now.

Pepper set the take-out ordered burgers on the couch. Kyle reached out and took a bite out of his own, his chin resting on his father's shoulder and his arm around his neck. Tony was in a similar fashion, one hand comfortingly rubbing his son's back. He used the other to eat his own burger. "Thanks, Pep," he said, nodding in her direction.

Pepper pursed her lips. "Aren't you tired? It's getting late."

He nodded. "A bit, yeah. But I can't..." He trailed off.

"Sir, I apologize that I did not detect this Sir Lancelot intruder," Jarvis said. "It seems that he knew of my system and interrupted it."

"Don't sweat it," Tony said. "The important thing is that he's alive."

Jarvis made a sound that sounded like he was clearing his nonexistent throat. "Er, sir? There's someone at the door."

Sure enough, a knock sounded on the hingeless-door propped on the doorway. Pepper frowned before looking at Tony with a raised eyebrow, the latter shrugging the shoulder Kyle was not resting on.

She walked over to the door and moved it aside, talking quietly to someone. She then let them in and Tony was surprised to see the same young man from earlier, the one who gave him the note of Kyle's endangerment.

"He's okay? Is he asleep?" Billy said, taking the satchel over his shoulder and setting it on the floor by the kitchen counter. Before Tony can answer, he rolled his eyes. "Damn, you're stubborn."

"I didn't even say anything," Tony said. He listened intently and said, "Can we talk quietly? Kyle's asleep."

Billy hesitated for a second before he said, "I can hear what you're thinking. You were sprouting a whole speech about how I'm your enemy and that if you ever saw me again you'd hurt me in less than a second."

Tony frowned. "Wow, that was actually on spot."

Pepper opened her mouth to speak but Kay said, "Yes, Mechanoid is an ally." She nodded.

"Who the hell are they?" Tony said, standing up. Kyle's arm went limp as he did so. A small snore sounded from him.

"Lancelot isn't working alone," Billy said. "There are more villains out in the world in various time points from now to the next 15 years or so. And they're all after Kyle and other kids."

"Time points?" Pepper asked.

Billy sighed. "They're from the future. And so am I. We come from about 55 years from now, where the human race has almost gone extinct. A future version of you, Mr. Stark, sent some of us back to this period to stop the threat from happening and to protect our past selves."

"What?" Tony looked at him with a bemused look and chuckled. "Oh, God. God, that's funny. What's the real reason you know about Kyle?"

"I knew you'd say that, and not because I can read minds." He reached into his pocket and pulled another folded paper. He gave it to him, Tony taking it with one hand and unfolding it.

He frowned. "What the hell is this?" The paper was a photo of Kyle and Tony, but Kyle looked different. He wasn't seven, but maybe 11 or 12. They stood with Pepper proudly. Kyle was holding an award in his hand, and looking close, it was labeled for a talent show at a school. He couldn't see what school it was for, but he was shocked.

"The future version of you gave it to me when we all came back. That was the last picture you took with him before he had to go to the future." Billy shrugged, pulling on his hair. "Maybe about how three or four years or so?"

Tony looked back at the photo, Pepper looking over his shoulder. "Kyle came back?" he asked.

Billy nodded. "Yeah. All of us are the kids of superheroes who've died at some point. Kyle's, Patrice's, and me and my brother's dad and Astrid's and Nathan's moms are the only survivors, and only three of them are heroes."

Tony looked at the photo again, comparing it to Billy. Dark eyes, brown hair, not to mention he was the one who received the photo from future him... "Are you...Kyle?"

Billy gave a sorrowful smile and crossed his arms. "No. Kyle and I are in contact now, but a few years ago he suffered some pretty severe injuries from another villain called Hellfire. He has burn scars that he doesn't want to show anyone." Bending over and reaching into his satchel, he pulled out a case containing a DVD. "He made this for you before we came. It's audio only through."

Tony took the DVD, nodding.

He believed him. There wasn't much efficient proof, but something just told him it was true. Looking down at the sleeping Kyle in his hands, he announced that he would be taking him to bed with him that night, offering Billy a room. He kindly refused, saying that he had to meet up with future Kyle for their plan of finding their friends whom they've been separated from.

"If you want to say anything to him, write it down on paper and I'll be your guys' mailman, alright?"

As he left, Pepper asked Happy to take him wherever he needed to.

Tony set Kyle under the blankets. "Can you truly trust Billy Maximoff, sir?" Jarvis whispered overhead.

"He helped save Kyle," Tony said. "This Mechanoid is probably a cyborg that came with them. I'll do what I can to help, especially since a future version of Kyle is with them." He chuckled mirthlessly. "God... If this is all true, I can't believe my own son doesn't want to see me. It's like some drama show."

"Or a fan work based on the original content," Jarvis put in. "Oh... That's strange..."

"What's up?"

"It appears that I have a file somehow in my system. I... do not know how it got there."

Tony slipped under the covers, taking his laptop with him and booting it up. "Send it to my email. I'll look it up after I listen to this thing."

"Right away, sir."

He inserted the DVD, waiting for the laptop to read it. As it did so, he decided to check the file. Opening his email, he clicked on the file labeled as . Imagine his surprise when he saw a young man with short brown hair and dark eyes. The photo was on black and white, taken with an old man. The photo was signed with a pen as _"Me and Kyle: Stark men forever!"_

"It's me and Kyle..." he realized. Going back to the DVD, he inserted his earphones to not disturb his son. He hesitated, the window of the DVD shrunk so the photo was more in view.

He hit play.

 _"Um... Dad? Is this... Okay, yeah, it works."_

 _"Hey, Kyle, Steven-James wants to know what you want to eat for lunch. It's his turn to cook."_

 _"Oh, just a burger is fine. Thanks, Cassie."_ There was a moment of silence as something scratched. _"Um, sorry about that, Dad. That was Cassie, she's a friend of mine. And Steven-James, too. There's... I guess there's 14 of us, I think. There's me, Steven-James, Cassie, Astrid, the twins Billy and Tommy, Quincy, Nathaniel, Patrice, Sarah, um... Also Taylor, and Bailey, and Raymond and T'Chaka II. See, the reason I'm making this audio file is because future you says its best if you know who we are and who our parents are. By 2008, Steven-James and obviously me are the only one to have been born. By 2012, Sarah, Quincy, and Taylor are born. No one for the next few years, but by 2020, the rest of us are born._

 _"I missed you, Dad. G-God, I'm starting to cry. It's just, by the time I left, we had moved to New York and I met other heroes after this alien invasion happened. But then I had to leave. That was 13 years ago... I love you, Dad. And yeah, you're here on the base with me, but it doesn't feel exactly the same. He wishes all of us grew up with normal lives. All of us have had a bounty on our heads since 2048, when Steven James first came when he was three. All of us miss home, even if we don't remember it. Astrid has a younger cousin that she had to leave behind, Quincy misses his mom, I miss, um, Pepper and Uncle Rhodey. Technically, that means Raymond is my cousin; heh, don't tell Uncle Rhodey about him, okay?_

 _"Let's see... You told me to tell you to not tell the other heroes who their children are. Some of us might end up in different time years, but definitely somewhere near the beginning of the 21st century. Well, except for Steven-James, but that's another story. Also, some of these names might sound familiar: Steven-Janes, for example. Some of us are adopted, some of us are biologically related to our parents. My point is... please look for us. We might be anywhere between Shanghai and Afghanistan. ...You've probably already done that part, huh? Love you, Dad... Also... Nah, never mind. Take care of younger me, huh? He's going to need it._

 _"What else, what else, what else... Oh. You told me about Mom. My birth mother, I mean. In this time period. She was one of those women you had a one-night stand with, and nine months later, she showed up in your porch in Malibu and demanded that you take responsibility for me. I saw the tapes J-Jarvis recorded; I'm surprised she didn't try to get an abortion, or maybe she did and it failed. Either way, I'm glad you raised me. I'm glad that still tried to be a responsible adult even though Uncle Rhodey knew you weren't really one. I'm glad to be your son. I hope I see you soon, Dad. Bye."_

...

Tony went to talk to Obadiah the next day, and Kyle was scared to death that he would never see him again. But sure enough, he came back.

After spending a part of the day watching movies with Kyle, he said he had to go to his workshop to check on something. "I want to introduce you to someone," he said as the door knocked. He opened it and let the person inside. "Kyle, this is Billy. Billy, Kyle."

"Hey, Kay," Billy said, setting his bag on the couch. Kyle looked up at him questioningly before he scooted a bit farther away on his seat. "Oh, is that anyway to treat your babysitter?"

"Babysitter?" Kyle asked, looking at his father.

"He's really here to protect you," Tony explained. "Think of him like your personal bodyguard. He'll protect you, and don't worry, I trust him. I'll be down in the lab, I'll be back in a mo'."

Tony left, leaving Billy and Kyle alone. "Jarvis, do me a favor and order a pizza, will ya?"

"Of course, Mr. Maximoff. What toppings would you prefer?"

Billy hummed as he took out a book from his bag. "Pepperoni and sausage, I guess. Okay, Kyle, I brought a couple things to entertain ourselves with." He set the book on the coffee table, then pulled out a board game labeled Chutes and Ladders, along with a DVD case, and a sketchbook and pencil. He looked over at Kyle for a moment and said, "Did I mention I can read minds?"

Kyle looked up, curious. "Really?"

"Yep. You're thinking that I'm weird, right?" He nodded. "Okay... Now your thinking about pancakes. Mickey Mouse. Your dad. Pepper?"

"What are you guys up to?" Pepper asked as she walked down the stairs and into the floor.

"We're going to do stuff!" Kyle said. "I wanna watch a movie."

"I have some here," Billy said, pointing to the case. "Unless Jarvis has them as well. Jar-Jar?"

"...Must I answer to that name? Yes, we have various amounts of movies to watch at your leisure, including various... ahem, adult films for your own enjoyment, Mr. Maximoff."

Billy frowned for a moment before he groaned. He buried his head in his hands before he mumbled, "Gods, Tony..."

Pepper chuckled as her phone rang. "Uh, what?" she said to the other line. "I don't understand. Why–" She hung up a moment later.

"Something wrong?" Billy asked as a movie began to show on the TV screen. He wasn't too sure what movie it was, but he really didn't care.

"Something about small hands..." Pepper said thoughtfully. "I'll go check on Tony real quick."

...

The next few days went by at a relative pace. Tony would be down in the lab constantly working on a secret project, though no longer making weapons. Kyle and Billy would hang out often during the day, and Tony smiled at the thought that his son had a friend. Rhodey and Obadiah were not let in on the Future Ones problem, which the villains seemed to name the children.

Pepper came in one fine morning with a box and cup of coffee for him, made conversation, then left. She walked in the living room to see Billy reading from the book he had, _To Kill A Mockingbird._

"But how did Jim break his arm?" Kyle asked as he made himself comfortable. Next to him, Kropcah nodded in agreement.

"The whole book is leading up to that," Billy explained. "We're almost done, only a few more chapters left."

Obadiah laughed. "You reading one of them classics?" he asked.

Billy nodded as he saw the Obadiah walk over to the piano and began to play. He reached over to the pizza and frowned at the box. "This isn't the usual pizza we get."

"No it is not," Obadiah agreed.

"Uncle Obi-Wan gets pizza from New York when he's upset," Kyle explained.

Billy raised an eyebrow. "Obi-Wan?"

"Yeah. You know, from _Star Wars_."

" _Star Wars_? What's that?"

Kyle frowned on confusion, looking at him. "You don't know _Star Wars_?"

"Not... necessarily..."

Tony came up and talked with Obadiah. Billy looked back and forth between them as they talked about something called "the board." _I wish I knew more about the economic system here... I literally have no idea what they're talking about._

 _Is Obi-Wan there?_ another voice in his head asked.

 _Yeah,_ Billy answered. _What's with that, anyway? What's Star Wars? Younger you was looking at me weird._

 _It's an old movie at that time. I watched it all the time when I was younger with my dad. Um, is Mom there?_

 _Pepper? Yeah, she's here too. Since when did you start calling her "Mom" anyway?_

 _Um... I guess when she and Dad started going out._

 _Huh. He really wants to see you, you know. I can't stop lying about your injuries forever._

 _Yeah, but... not now. Sir Lancelot is all the way in Europe by now, Hellfire is in New Mexico waiting for Astrid, Petrichor and the Shadow are in Canada for some reason._

 _Excuses, excuses. You want to see your dad as badly as I do. And mine isn't even born yet! I can maybe go see my mom, but–_ "Hey! Don't you dare take that pizza!"

 _What?_

 _Sorry, gotta go. No one messes with my pizza!_ "Excuse me, Mr. Stane! You better be wise and give me that damn pizza!" He chased after Obadiah outside, the older man chuckling at his direction.

"C'mon, kid. You can't get that worked up over some pizza, can ya?"

Billy sighed and crossed his arms. "I didn't leave for the pizza."

 _Sure you didn't._

 _Shut up, Kyle._ "I came out here because I know about you and the Ten Rings."

At this, Obadiah lost his smile. He set the box on the gods of the car and walked over to him in a call fashion. "Wanna say that again?"

"I know you hired the Ten Rings to kill Tony," Billy said, furrowing his eyebrows to seem menacing. "As much as I want to, I can't tell him. But know this: he will kill you. And my friend and I will be there to help do the job."

Obadiah laughed. "You threatening me, kid? Yeah, I ordered the kill. I fail to see how you can do anything about it."

"Oh, I can do much," Billy reassured. "I can kill you right now if I wanted to, but that wouldn't work out. Don't bother trying to order some hit on me, either; I've handled more than you can ever imagine."

"Oh?"

Billy eyed the box on the car. He reached his hand out for it and flicked his hand in its direction. The box flew into the air and in his direction. Obadiah jumped back when he saw it pass over his shoulder. "For example," he said as he took a slice, "my enemies are not human. Then again..." He grinned as he took a bite, his eyes flashing a golden yellow before they became brown again. "...neither am I."

...

The Mark II was a success in Tony's book. Yeah, there was a bit of an icing problem upon an attempt to exit the ionosphere, but nothing a little programming can't fix. He'd have to contact Happy about a new car, though. And see which colleges can use a fire extinguisher-bot like Dum-E. As he passed his desk, however, he spotted the the box that Pepper had left earlier in the night. He walked over to it, peeling the note off. _From Pepper and Kyle_ it read. Tearing the paper off it, he was surprised to see that it wasn't a box at all. It was a glass case, and inside the case was the first Arc Reactor, the one Pepper herself took out to replace it with the new one. On the casing around the Reactor were the words "Proof That Tony Stark Has A Heart." Underneath it, in smaller print, said, "Best Daddy Ever."

He smiled. His son's eighth birthday was in a few weeks, he remembered. Maybe it wasn't so bad to be nostalgic, after all.

...

"Kyle, I'm going to an event tonight," Tony said as he entered the lounge. He stopped on his tracks when he saw Billy balancing on one hand. Kyle looked on in wonder as Billy then set the other hand down and walked in his direction. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Just some stretching," he answered. "Haven't done any combat since we got here, and I don't want my muscles to sprain if there's another attack. You said something about an event?"

"Uh, yeah. I'll be gone for a few hours, I think Pep and Obie are already there. Can you watch Kyle until we get back?"

Billy punched himself off the ground, landing flat on his feet. "Don't worry, Jarvis and I will keep him company. Right, Jar-Jar?"

"We shall be alright, sir," Jarvis promised.

Tony nodded, straightening his collar. "Good, thanks. And, when you get the chance, tell you-know-who that I would at least like to see him on his birthday, alright?" He lowered his voice a little at this part, as if sharing in a conspiracy.

"Promise." _You heard that? He's feeling like you don't want to see him._

 _Leave me alone. I'm tired._

 _How can you be tired?!_

Once Tony was gone, Jarvis said, "Mr. Maximoff, where exactly is you-know-who?"

Billy cringed. "You sound like my dad. He has an accent like that, too, you know."

"Wonderful. I'll keep an eye out for any English super humans, then. Don't think I'm dropping this matter!"

...

Billy sighed as he entered the apartment. "Hey, you here?" He was met with silence. _Kyle? Where are you?_

 _Went for a walk. I've been cooped up in the apartment for too long, I decided to go outside._

 _And your face? You've knocked some sense into anyone who's questioned it, right?_

 _Some people are avoiding looking at me, and one woman offered her condolences when I went into a mini market. Then one guy outright called me a few choice words I won't bother to repeat._

 _Too late, I hear them already. Your birthday's tomorrow, and whether you like it or not, we are going to see your dad, alright?_

He received no answer.

The apartment they owned wasn't very big. The only thing it had was a small bedroom, living room, and bathroom. No kitchen. Because the bedroom only had a single bed, the alternated between taking the bed and couch on a nightly basis. Tonight, it was Billy's turn to take the couch.

He reached into his bag to take out his laptop, something of a gift he had gotten from Tony. Connecting to the Internet, he searched the news and found an article of an iron figure, a robot of some sort, had traveled to Gulmira and freed the town of its terrorists. Another stating about a training mishap as told by Rhodey. Good, things were proceeding well.

He raised his hand as soon as the gun was shot. When he did, the sound died out and the bullet stopped about a foot away form hitting the back of his head. "Did you really think you can kill me?"

Standing, he raised an eyebrow at his attacker, a man who looked bewildered at seeing the bullet hover in midair. "What?"

"I told Obadiah to not mess with me." Billy stepped forward, his eyes turning a golden yellow. "Do you wanna do yourself a favor and avoid doing time? Go ahead and leave now. Stay, and the news tonight will be of an attack in this apartment and its owner's act of self defence to knock him out."

The man was shaking a little but held his ground. He raised the gun to shoot again when he was suddenly flung to the wall hard enough to crack it. He fell to the floor in a moan, the gun inches from his hands. Looking around, Billy used his mental abilities to peel the covers off he bed, push the couch askew, and knock the laptop to the floor. Then he reached for his phone and dialed a number.

 _"Hello, this is the NYPD, what's your emergency?"_ a man on the other line said.

"Yes, hello. I'd like to report a robbery and attempted murder in my apartment. I found a man when I came in and he shot at me. I'm fine, he missed, but I used some self-defence to knock him out cold."

 _"No one is injured?"_

"Aside from the man, no. He also said something about being a hitman, but I don't know who would want me dead, I've only been in town for a few weeks."

 _"Okay, please give me your address and I'll send units right over there. If the intruder wakes up, do not kill him, but subdue him."_

"Got it." Using the blankets he had, he wrapped the man's body up like a burrito, swaddling him up until when he woke up, he was unable to move.

"H-hey, what the hell are you doing?"

"Shut up." He picked the gun off the floor and set it on the waistline of his pants, hidden underneath his shirt. "When the police arrive, tell them I went to save Tony's son's life." He snapped his fingers and his clothes changed. They became all red; red boots, red pants, red shirt, a red helmet. He wore a red mask that covered the right half of his face, but the area around his yellow eyes were still visible. He wore fingerless gloves and the gun was on the inside of the belt's waistline. The red scarf he wore was adjusted to that instead of facing his front, it faced his back, acting like a cape.

"Who the hell are you?" the man said, clearly shocked at what he was seeing.

Billy smirked. "Don't mess with a Wiccan." In a flash of red light, he disappeared.

...

 _Kyle, I have a feeling that tonight's the night; Tony's already in his suit, Pepper and Obie are at the lab, but I don't know where younger you is._

No answer.

Grunting, Wiccan flew at a faster rate, catching sight of the ongoing fight between Iron Man and the Iron Monger. _There you are._

As a car carrying a family was about to hit Iron Man, Wiccan lifted his hand in the air and caught it before it fell.

"What?" Clearly Tony was bemused and turn around to see the red suit. "Who the hell are you?"

"Seems like a common question tonight, isn't it?" Wiccan said. The car was set down and immediately drove off, almost hitting Iron Man. "Tony, where's Kyle?"

Iron Man looked at him. "Billy?"

The corner of his mouth that was visible turned upwards into a smirk. "Call me Wiccan. Look out!" He raised his hands again as a motorcycle came hurling at them before returning it. The Iron Monger smacked it back and he wasn't fast enough to stop it before it hit Iron Man, hitting him against vehicles as people began to escape off the streets.

 _Damn it, Kyle! Your dad is about to die and you don't care about him enough to show yourself?!_

...

Kyle looked at his reflection. At 25 years old, people would say he was a very handsome man. He ran his hand over his bare flesh, feeling it's smoothness. Looking up, he saw two figures fly into the sky in the distance. From his position atop a building, he could see just how far away he was from the fight: a few miles. He can easily fly there.

He looked back at his reflection, reaching up to touch the metallic skin. One eye glowed red, the other was a normal brown. He looked at his clothes, which were a simple shirt and pants. A moment later, flesh showed on the metallic part of his face, but it wasn't smooth like the other side was. It was a pale red with bumps protruding his skin. It wasn't necessarily ugly or disgusting, but it wasn't something you would generally want to point out to someone as if they had a mosquito bite they didn't realize they had.

He looked back up to the two figures to see them coming back down. His eyesight can easily see that. He turned around and walked away.

...

He was there. Kyle was inside the Iron Monger suit the whole time. This entire time he was being injured alongside the suit.

"Some birthday this turned out to be, huh?" Obadiah said as he threateningly held Kyle by the collar of his shirt. Wiccan hovered next to Tony, who was hanging for his life on the broken panes that was the glass roof. "Not even midnight yet. This kid probably won't even make it to his eighth birthday."

"Leave him alone, Stane!" Wiccan ordered.

Obadiah looked at him. "You had a chance to stop me!" he said. "You knew it would to this, and you did nothing!"

Iron Man briefly glanced over at Wiccan before turning his attention back to the Monger.

A metallic screech sounded in the air, one that was so horrible that both Wiccan and Iron Man placed their hands over their ears, the latter with more difficulty because he was hanging on to a pane and because his ears were blocked by his helmet. Obadiah did the same reaction, taking his hands off the controls and blocking his ears. Unfortunately, this also led to him losing his grip on Kyle, who began to scream as he fell.

"DADDY!"

"KYLE!"

A metal figure flew down to catch him before it flew back up.

"Kyle?!" Wiccan shouted, looking at the metallic figure.

Tony stared at it as well. It looked very familiar, and as soon it clicked that he was looking at Mechanoid again, he realized now was his chance. "Time to press the button!" he shouted.

 _"You told me not to!"_ Pepper shouted on the other line.

Obadiah grunted as he aimed another weapon at Iron Man again, but only resulted in blowing a still-pained Wiccan to the stone platform of the roof. "Hold still, you little prick."

"Just do it!"

 _"You'll die!"_

Another explosion went off near him, causing him to lose his grip and hold on to the beam with a single hand. "Push it!" he shouted again. The next thing he knew, he was being flung into the air and next to another person. He heard a scream of pain and the last thing he heard before falling unconscious was someone calling his name and Kyle's sobs.

...

It was a quiet drive back to the house. Happy was driving, as usual, with Tony in the passenger seat. In the back were Pepper, Kyle, and Billy.

The silence was eventually broken when Kyle looked up at Billy and said, "You're a superhero, too?"

Billy smiled. "Yeah, I am. I go by the name of Wiccan since I use magic." He wiggled his fingers as thin streams of red light danced through them.

"What happened to Mechanoid?" Pepper asked. "He just showed up in full robot suit instead of a robot skeleton and took off. He brought the three of you back down."

"He's shy." Billy said. He scratched his head where a bandage was slightly blotched with blood. "Today's your birthday, right, Kyle?"

Kyle nodded. "Yeah, I'm turning eight today!" He held up a hand an three fingers. In the rearview mirror, Billy saw Tony flinch at the cast on Kyle's right arm.

They arrived back at the mansion. Rhodey met up with them, reminding them that they had caused quiet a commotion in revealing who Iron Man was. Wiccan and Mechanoid's identities were still unknown to the public, but how long that would be is a question.

They celebrated Kyle's eighth birthday party together. Tony introduced an upgraded version of Kropcah to act and behave like Wall-E, his favorite robot of all time. It even spoke like him, high-pitched and with few words. Pepper gave him a sketchbook as since Billy arrived, he would always want to draw the most amazing scenes and characters from books he read. Rhodey gave him a model of a war plane, shiny and colorful. Billy gave him camera to take pictures with. All ended peacefully.

Tony offered Billy a room again, and this time, he agreed. "I was gonna sublet the apartment, anyway," he had said.

In the middle of the night, before midnight, after everyone went to sleep, Tony got up and went to his little playground. He couldn't sleep, for obvious reasons, and decided that a bit of tinkering for a Mark IV would help. But as he passed the lounge, he heard the sound of gears whirring. He paused, listening intently.

"Jarvis, you up?" he called out.

No answer.

Feeling anxious, he grabbed the gun that Billy stole from Obie's hitman and unlocked the safety. There was no time to go down and put the suit on, especially with Jarvis down at the moment.

He listened hard, not turning the dial that lit the room. He hid in the shadows of the couch and heard the whirling sound again. They sounded like they were getting farther away. As he was already barefoot, he patted his way across the floor and saw a shadow in the moonlight. He saw a blink of a red light before it turned away, but the shadow did not move.

Tony raised the gun and was about to shoot when he heard a voice. "Please..."

He paused. "What?"

There was a second of silence before the figure spoke again. "Please... don't come any closer. I just... I just wanted to see home again."

Tony frowned. The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it at first. "Who are you?"

Silence at first. "Mechanoid," he said. "I'm sorry to break in, but I wanted to see home one last time."

"Home? But you don't live here." Tony set the gun down but did not put it away. He took a step forward when Mechanoid shouted.

"Don't come closer!" He sounded frightened. "P-please... I'll go right away, just please don't look at me." The shadow moved towards the door, the whirring sounding again.

Tony racked his head for his thoughts and memories before it came to him. "Kyle?"

The whirring stopped.

Taking out the flashlight that was kept in one of the counter drawers, Tony turned it on. The small light by the back of the figure. He seemed to wear a normal shirt and pants, but his neck was reflecting the light. "Kyle." It was not a question.

"Hi, Dad," Kyle said. He sounded like he was close to tears.

Tony inhaled sharply. "You suffered burns?"

He shook his head. "No. It was worse than that. I... I actually died. For a few hours. My heartbeat just stopped and you couldn't start it again. So you... you built me this and placed some of my skin on it and my organs inside." He turned around fully. Half of his face was metal. The other half was skin. Brown hair protruded from the top of his head, but it was obviously a wig of some sort. "I'm not alive anymore. I died four years ago, but my conscious continued to live in this hunk of metal."

Tony stepped forward, taking in every detail. The metal looked smooth, and it seemed to be flexible, making it easy to give as many facial expressions as a human would. The right red eye glowed, and blinked in unison with the brown one in the left eye socket. He didn't even look like he was breathing, which he probably didn't need to. Putting a hand on his shoulder, Kyle flinched at the sudden contact. Then he was pulled into a hug, Tony wrapping his arms tightly around him.

"Happy birthday, son..." Tony said softly through tears.

Kyle didn't say anything. He just reached up and hugged his father back.

...

 **Yes! Another chapter done! This one was actually very fun, Iron Man's not my favorite Avenger, but this chapter was fun to write. I may or may not do Iron Man 2 or 3, probably not, as those movies do not really pertain to anything in the other MCU movies unlike Winter Soldier, Dark World, and Civil War. Maybe Iron Man 2 as it introduces Black Widow. I also won't do The Incredible Hulk, I've never seen the movie. Heck, I thought Banner's introduction in The Avengers was his first appearance!**

 **This also introduces two more Future Ones, while in the last chapter we had two as well. There's also more backstory on the rest of them and who their parent(s) are! If you can figure it out, cool! If not, eh, I prefer it that way.**

 _CoronaCrown2_


End file.
